Frequently Asked Questions

We know you probably have many burning questions - please contact us if they aren't answered here! ​

Isn't it really dangerous for amateurs to work on and operate submersibles? The risks of working on and operating submersibles should be taken very seriously, but first and foremost, submersibles are currently the safest form of transportation in terms of numbers of accidents per numbers of trips. There are many things people who imagine submersible diving do not understand or are not aware of. Some of the most important points to address this question are:

: No civilian has ever died from a submersible implosion - the industry has figured out the technical specifications to keep submersibles from imploding

: For every failure point, submersibles are designed with multiple backup systems. There are multiple ways to regain buoyancy if an unintended descent occurs, breathe in the case of a life support system (oxygen and CO2 scrubber) failure, and communicate with the surface if comms go down. These redundancies are the reason why submersibles are so safe.

: Because there are so few submersibles in the world, there is no such thing as a submersible engineering degree. The professionals in the field are general engineers who gained submersible experience with the small number of submersibles in the world, and that is how they came to be professionals. This path is not very dissimilar to the vibrant DIY submersible community, many of whom are engineers, who have followed the specifications determined by engineers and documented in the literature on the subject. The DIY submersible community has an outstanding safety record, and the people who tend to build their own submersibles also tend to be extremely meticulous and safe individuals. Please visit the Personal Submersibles community here: ​psubs.org/

You can also read the bible of submersible engineering here that is the basis for all submersible design, whether DIY or professionally manufactured, to get a sense for the technical requirements of a submersible: Manned Submersibles by R. Frank Busby

All of this said, safety ultimately comes down to the care of the individual and the systems in place to make certain safety protocol is adhered to. We require that all of our crew get training on mechanics, operations and piloting before performing any tasks with the subs, where they learn the risks of their work, the potential pitfalls and their mitigation, and methods of identifying and correcting mistakes. We use extensive checklists during any maintenance work or operations so that mechanics and pilots are not reliant on their memory to conduct all of the safety protocol of their work correctly. Everyone who successfully completes the training has to demonstrate an exceptional attention to safety details, and everyone on our crew cares deeply about protecting others from harm.

TLDR: submersibles are the safest method of travel if the proper protocol is followed, and we take safety extremely seriously.

Where are you based?The subs currently live in Berkeley, California. They are both on trailers, and can be dived anywhere within driving distance that has a launch ramp.

How do I get to go on a submersible dive? We are currently developing a certification protocol for becoming operations crew and/or a pilot. In the meantime, your best chance of getting on a dive is to sign up to be a volunteer, so please go to the join page and sign up for all the things. The pilot school will be announced via the email list so get on that too! Anyone can go on a dive if they have a willing crew and pilot.

How much does it cost to do a submersible dive? Part of the intent of this project is to disintegrate the financial model of paying lots of money for a dive. We have funders, and we have participants, and dives are not transactional between these two types of members. The current cost of a dive is the actual expenses, which are extremely low: gas money for transportation and boat launch fees.

Can I use one of your submersibles for x, y or z?Probably, yes! We want them to get used as much as possible. Contact us with your request!​

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